Monday, 6 January 2014

Hard-boiled egg. (Hint: Make several
hard-boiled eggs, and peel. Store in a zipper bag in the refrigerator. Then you
will have them when you need them for super-quick breakfasts. You can also find
prepackaged, peeled hard-boiled eggs in some stores).

1 or 2 slices Canadian bacon

6 ounces tomato juice, low-sodium

Mid-morning Snack

1 stick light cheese

Baby carrots

Lunch

Acapulco Tuna Salad

Cherry tomatoes

Small side salad: dressed with Italian or oil and
vinegar dressing

Strawberry Jell‑O cup, sugar-free

Mid-afternoon Snack

4 ounces lemon light yogurt, fat-free, artificially
sweetened

18 cashews (1 ounce by weight, 1/4 cup by volume, or
small handful)

Before-Dinner Snack
(Optional)

Pepper strips. (Hint: To make the strips quickly, cut
off the tops and bottoms of some red, yellow, or orange bell peppers.
Remove seeds and cut in half. Flatten each half and take a very sharp
knife and cut along the surface, removing the membranes. Then cut into 1‑inch
strips. These are great to dip into guacamole, as a chip substitute).

2-3 Turkey-Swiss roll-ups. Cheese on the outside, as
the wrap. Deli turkey slices for the meat. Add whatever condiments you
like, such as mustard. You could also add lettuce as the outermost layer of
the wrap.

1/2-1 cup coleslaw

Raw snow peas or sugar snap pea pods (as much as you
like)

Orange Jell‑O cup, sugar-free

Mid-afternoon Snack

1 stick light cheese

Baby carrots

Before-Dinner Snack
(Optional)

10 peanuts in the shell (20 individual peanuts) (Hint:
Shelling nuts slows you down, so you are less likely to overeat them.)

Dinner

Roasted sliced turkey

Sautéed carrots and onions. Sauté 1 medium onion,
thinly sliced, in 1 tablespoon olive oil or canola oil. Add about 8 ounces
sliced carrots, and continue to sauté until the carrots are soft. Add 1
thin pat of butter at the end. (Hints: Top the turkey with the sautéed
carrots for extra flavor. If you like very soft carrots, microwave first
before sautéing.)

Side salad topped with Italian dressing

Lime Jell‑O cup, sugar-free

Day 3

Breakfast

Scrambled eggs

1-2 slices Canadian bacon

4-6 ounces diet cranberry juice

Mid-morning Snack

4 ounces raspberry light yogurt, nonfat, artificially
sweetened

23 almonds (1 ounce by weight, 1/4 cup by volume)

Lunch

Cold fried chicken breast (don’t eat the skin or
coating) [Hint: The chicken doesn’t have to be cold. This could be a
fast-food lunch but only if you can choose whole chicken parts.
(Definitely do not choose chicken tenders, patties, crispy chicken, or nuggets.
They have too much breading for the amount of meat.) Most fried chicken
places have coleslaw as a side. When you get back to your office, you can
have the carrots and Jell‑O.]

Unlike other diet plans, the DASH diet – originally developed to fight
high blood pressure – has been voted by many health experts as one of the best overall as it is safe and has an easy-to-follow eating plan that
helps you lose weight.

In this blog, we will 'test drive' dietician Marla Heller's version of the DASH Diet and will follow diet plans from her book The DASH Diet Weight Loss Solution.

The diet plan is divided into two phases.

Phase 1: Two Weeks to Shrink Your Waistline
During the 14 days of phase 1, you will learn how to satisfy your
hunger and, as a result, feel fuller longer. To regulate your blood
sugar and help curb your cravings, avoid fruit and whole grains, which
have a lot of natural sugar, and alcohol, which also contain sugars.
That said, you can enjoy 2-3 servings of low-fat dairy per day. This
would include 1 cup of skim milk or low-fat yogurt. Avoid regular or
even fat-free cheese because they are often high in sodium.By avoiding starchy foods with sugar, you’re
helping to regulate your blood sugar and diminish cravings. Try leafy
greens like lettuce and spinach or cruciferous vegetables like broccoli
or cabbage. You can also eat cucumbers, squash, peppers and tomatoes.
You can also enjoy up to 6 ounces of lean meats, fish and poultry a day. Aim for 4 to 5 servings of beans or lentils a week.

Opt for protein-rich foods that have healthy fats, like fresh nuts and
seeds, or fatty fish like salmon or mackerel. Avocados are loaded with
monounsaturated fats as well as antioxidants lutein, vitamin E and
beta-carotene. Toss them in a salad along with vegetable oils,
especially olive, canola and nut oils, which you can use as salad
dressing.

Phase 2: Kick It Up a Notch!
After the first 14 days, you will continue to eat the foods from
Phase 1 but re-introduce some other healthy foods that will help you
continue your weight loss. How long does Phase 2 last? It’s your life
plan, so it should last forever so you can keep your blood pressure low
and keep weight off.

Whole Grains: Choose from cereals, breads and pasta. Aim for 6 to 8 servings a day.

Fruit: Make fruit (fresh or frozen) a part of your diet every day. Aim for 4 to 5 servings a day.

Low-Fat Milk or Yogurt: Stick to 2 to 3 servings a day as in Phase 1.

Sugar: You can have 3 to 4 servings of sugary foods each week.

Alcohol: You can have a small glass of red wine occasionally, which represents one fruit serving.